Head size shaping and finishing method and apparatus



April 13, 193?. c. J. HEALEY 279759721 HEAD SIZE SHAPING AND FINISHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1, 1934 Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES FATE warn HEAD SIZE SHAPING AND FINISHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Application August 1, 1934, Serial No. 737,869

6 Claims. (Cl. 22312) The invention relates to the treatment of felt hats by steaming with dry steam from within to soften the material as the hat is shaped to its final form and to the exact headsize and finished as to its external surface.

. In accordance with the established practice in the manufacture of felt hats, the fur is deposited on a conical form known as the cone, by blowing. It is then immersed and removed from the cone and shrunk by various hand and machine processes to approximately one third of its original size, after which it is colored and the brim is stiffened, then it is stretched and pulled out in water, following which it is rough blocked in Water, dried 15 and rubbed or pounced with emery paper by hand or machine to smooth it and take out the hair, after which it is pressed or molded in a hydraulic press to compress the felt, the size and shape at this time being no consideration. A common mold is used. The process or step of the present invention follows the above steps or equivalent steps of the manufacturing process. The invention relates to a method and apparatus for finishing felt hats, the same being more particularly applied to the felt hats worn byv women. In this finishing process the hat is brought to the final shape and to the exact head size, and finished as to its outer surface. It is then ready for delivery to the milliner for trimming.

In accordance with the process of the invention and in the use of the apparatus, the hat is placed on a plaster form of the exact head size. This form consists of a head portion, and a brim portion in a single solid integral piece which is perforated substantially throughout the crown and brim portion corresponding to the crown and brim of the hat and the form being hollow, steam is supplied under pressure from within whereby the hat body is softened and rendered pliable so 40 that when manipulated and pressed to fit the form it takes and keeps the desired shape and the exact head size. It is then dried on the plaster form and finished thereon before removing. This finish is applied by rubbing with emery paper and with a duck pad or in any suitable manner while on the form.

In steaming, dry steam is used, the presence of water having a tendency to discolor the material on account of contamination of the water. The plaster form has the important advantage for use in this capacity that it is easily and quickly made and is extremely economical. This is an important element, because the forms must be of the exact shape and dimensions of the inside of the finished hat and brim portion, and hence,

separate forms must be supplied to meet. every variation of size and the entire set is replaced to meet every change of style.

This element of economy of the forms does not enter into the blocks or molds used in the earlier or back shop steps of the process, as in these earlier steps of the felt hat making operation the size and shape is not material and common blocks and molds are used to produce hats of various different sizes and shapes, the final formof the hat in the exact size and. shape being the result of the shaping and finishing process which is the subject of the invention. This latter step is referred to in the trade as dry blocking.

In accordance with the prior practice most generally followed in the dry blocking process, the hat bodies have been steamed externally, the shaping and forming operations and the finishing of the surfaces being performed at intervals between other intervals of steaming or after steaming in a steam chamber. This is a comparatively slow and expensive method.

In accordance with the practice of the invention, the hats or hat bodies are steamed and shaped simultaneously, the apparatus being so arranged that the steam can be controlled by the operator by means of a foot pedal or otherwise and passed from the chamber inside the plaster form through the perforations and through and into the hat body from within, while both hands are engaged in the shaping operation, which is performed from without. The hat body is then dried on the plaster form which being porous assists in the drying by providing for easy release of the moisture and is then finished on the same form before it is removed. This greatly accelerates the final shaping and finishing process, contributing to the economical and quick production of a high quality hat whereby the cost of manufacture and hence the retail price of such hats is considerably reduced.

The invention relates to the method of shaping, drying and finishing on a head size plaster form, to the perforated temporary head size plaster forms and to the details of the machine.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated an apparatus embodying the features of the invention in the preferred form, the same being shown in connection with a hat body in the process of finishing and a hat body ready for finish- U ing, i. e., in the condition in which it appears prior to the finishing process.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the hat finishing machine, including the form.

Figure 2 shows the form with the hat thereon wholly or partially finished ready for removal.

Figure 3 shows the unblocked hat body, ready for finishing.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the apparatus on the line 4, 4 in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, each of which is used to indicate the same or similar parts in the different figures, the apparatus as shown includes an upright stand I, which is preferably v hollow and open at the top where there is an inturned peripheral supporting flange 2. Inside I the stand at the top there is located a steam separator shaving a peripheral flange 4 which rests on the top of the stand. This flange is 1 preferably flat as toits top and bottom surfaces. The separator body 3 as shown is cylindrical in form except as to the lower end which is shown as in the form of an inverted cone 4, to the bottom of which is connected'a drip pipe 5 which is preferably trappedzat 6 to preventthe entrance .of air. i The sepa'rator'body as shown extends above and below the flange 4. The steam is introduced byway ofapipe 'lfrom a source of steam under pressure which in practice has beenabout 25 pounds. This steam pipe or tube 1 enters the cylindrical wall of the trap in a tangential direction .as indicated at 8, providing a centrifugal separating action. Separation may be otherwise performed.

The top wall of the trap is dished or concave, being shown in the form of a flat inverted frusto "conical wall 9 at the center of which'is the steam discharge pipe I ll which extends downwardly from the center of the frusto conical wall 9 terminating near the center of the steam separator 3. T s

steam discharge pipe IE is open at both ends for the discharge of dry steam from the separator body, the water being separated by the centrifugal action and released by way of drip pipe '5. The

dished top seems to discharge-condensed water i from the block into and through the separator.

In the form of the invention shown thesteam pipe is controlled by a quick operating valve H whichmay be aplug or other suitable type of valve. This valve is operated by means of a lever I! which is' shown as normally horizontal, i. e., in the closed position of the valve. The lever is connected at its swinging end to a tension and thrust rod |4 which is engaged at its lower end to a foot pedal l5 pivoted at I6. The valve is held normally closed, the closed position being the one illustrated, by meansof a spring I! which in-the present instance for purposes of illustra- 7 tion is shown as supporting the foot pedal I5, the spring may, of course, be applied in any suitable manner to hold'the valve normally closed and various details of the machine may be changed.

The form which separately and in combination with the elements described is an important feature of the invention is preferably of plaster or other suitable porous plastic which has the property of hardening .to form a substantially rigid construction and is adapted to take up moisture condensed in steaming the hat body. This moisture is evaporated and dischargedin baking. The fact that the form is of material which is practically non-conducting as to heat, helps to prevent or reduce condensation of moisture between the hat body and the form. The term plastic as hereinafter used is intended to include any material within the above definition which may be used for this purpose. This form has a tubular neck portion 20 of an external diameter which is preferably about one inch greater than the diameter of the flange 4 on which it is seated in operation so as to provide an overhang to be engaged by the fingers in removing the form from the stand. The lower edge of the neck 20 which is preferably flat and circular is in the preferred form provided with a circular flat felt pad 2| which serves to make a substantially steam tight contact with the flange 4. The neck 20, as already pointed out, is hollow and tubular, the inside diameter being slightly greater than the outside diameter of the top portion 22 of the separator body above the flange 20 so as'to provide for easy placing and removal of. the form in and from.

the working position, in which it is shown in Figure 1. The head portion of the form 24 is of the exact sizeand shape of the inside of the finished hat. which is tobe manufactured thereon. shown, the block comprises a convex hollow crownportion 25 and at its lower edge a peripheral brim forming flange .26, the upper. surface of (which at 26 is related to the crown forming 'por- I tion25 in the exact mannerin which the brimof thefinished hat is related to the crown'of the same. The top surface 26' of the flange 26 shapes the brim of thehat. The bottom of the brim forming flange 26 is shaped in any convenient the brim portion of the form to shape the brim of thehat. The lower edge of the crown or body is 1i also bound to the lower. edge of the crown forming portion or head form 25 where it meets the brim by a cord 28 which encircles the hat body, beingflnished at this point.

An important'feature of the form resides in the fact that it is hollow at 30, as already pointed out, and the wall of the same, as well asthebrim i portion 26, is perforated throughout at 3l and 3| as illustratedand this hollow portionor chame ber 30 within the crown andbrim forming por'-' tion of the block is open into the inside of the tubular neck at 34 sot hat in the working posltion of the block the chamber or hollow is in direct communication with the steam discharge v pipe ID of the steam separator 3 or separator body 3. The form is shown as covered-by a felt or fabric stocking 33 which preferably covers the j perforations.

In the practice of the method of the invention and in the operation of the apparatus a hat body 32 whichhas been suitably prepared by depositing the felt, removing, shrinking, molding, pouncing, pressing, etc., as described or in any suitable manner, is drawn over the form, the foot is placed on the pedal l5 and the edge of the hat body is drawn down closely about the brim forming flange 26, the foot being placed on thepedal for a suitable period which may be twenty or thirty seconds or a minute or more depending upon the manner of treatment and the nature of the material and hence the amount of steam required to soften it. In this way the hat body including the crown and the brim, is softened throughout and the operator by a manual operation of stretching and rubbing and pulling during and after steaming, and of further steaming when ,paratively short time.

and if desired, causes it to fit the form in a com- A cord 28 is then drawn about the crown and tied holding it in close contact with the block at the line of juncture of the crown forming portion 25 with the brim supporting surface 28 and the edge of the body, i. e., the brim portion is then drawn and smoothed over the brim flange 26 and bound by the cord 21 at the upper portion of the neck adjacent the bottom inner edge of the flange 26. When the hat is thus shaped in exact conformance with the form and secured thereto, it is dried on the form by baking, placing the form with the hat body thereon in an oven or in any suitable manner. The form with the hat body thereon is removed from the steam separator 3 and placed in a dryer for this purpose before finishing. It is then finished by rubbing While still on the plaster form. In this step of the process the plaster form is of particular advantage, as being porous and absorbent as to moisture, there is no accumulation of moisture underlying the hat body, such moisture being taken up by the plaster and evaporated in the oven. A metal form causes condensation of moisture between the form and the hat body which cannot be easily dissipated. This prevents proper drying and wooden forms become Wet and warped in drying, distorting the hat. After finishing, the hat is released from the block by cutting about the periphery of the brim, when the hat thus finished is ready for trimming by the milliner.

An important advantage of the invention is found to reside in the fact that hats which are steamed from within and formed and dry steamed on a perforated plaster block, are produced much more quickly and therefore with less expense of labor, reducing the cost of production and with simultaneous steaming and shaping, the shaping and forming operation is more quickly and efficiently performed, as both hands are free to perform the shaping operation, the supply of steam being otherwise controlled, and as the hat body is steamed from within, the hands are out of reach of the steam and the shaping operation can be performed without danger of burning the operators hands, and can further be performed as one operation as to the entire area of the hat instead of at intervals between steaming. It is of particular importance that the form being of plaster facilitates drying on the form. Shaping, drying and finishing on the form without removing results in greatly increased speed of production and economy, and the hats made in this way are equal or superior to those made by the slower and more expensive method. The invention effects a marked economy of skilled labor Without loss of quality.

It is also of interest, as already pointed out, that the perforated plaster forms not only assist in dissipating moisture, but being of non conducting material, condensation is reduced and the hat body retaining its heat when steamed,

can thus be worked to better advantage. That the blocks are quickly and cheaply produced of moldable cheap material as plaster or gypsum, which hardens immediately to form a rigid construction is of great advantage for use in the final shaping of felt hats to the headsize, drying and surface finishing all performed on the same form, as in order that the forms may be used in this way, it is necessary to have a set for each style, each set including a form for each headsize so that a large number of forms must be made and produced quickly to conform to the change'of style. These forms are therefore referred to herein as head size finishing forms. On account of the economy of production, the old forms can be freely discarded when they are out of date, also the new ones except the original mold of each size and shape which is a designers job can be produced at small cost whenever they are required, the plaster which is used being a cheap material which can be handled by any help and one which hardens immediately so that the production of a new set of forms canbe accom plished without any considerable delay or any important expense other than the actual design of the new style of hat.

I have thus described specifically and in detail the method of and apparatus for steaming and shaping felt hats to the exact head size on a perforated plaster form for the crown andbrim and drying and finishing them on'the same form' in accordance with my invention in order that the manner of constructing, applying, operating and using the invention may be fully understood, however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for shaping felt hats to the exact head size to finish them, comprising a porous absorbent plaster form having a hollow crown and brim portion in one piece and perforated to lead steam from the hollow to the outer surface of the form, a hollow neck integral with the form, providing for the tying of the hat ma- 2. The steps in the making of a felt hat by forations connecting the outer surface of the form to the hollow within the form, supplying dry steam to the said hollow whereby the hat body on the form is steamed from within, stretching and forming the hat by hand over the form as it is steamed, binding the hat body in position immediately above the periphery of the brim portion of the form, drawing it over the brim portion of the form and binding it below the brim portion of the form about said zone, removing the form with the hat body thereon from the steam supply to a heating and drying device, drying the hat body on the form.

3. The method of finally shaping and finishing felt hats which comprises placing the hat body on a perforated porous absorbent form of the exact head size, having a brim flange and a crown portion, the form having a hollow interior connected to the outer surface of the crown portion and brim fiange by said perforations, passing dry steam from the hollow through the perforations and steaming the hat material whereby the material is softened, stretching and forming the hat body to the exact size and shape of the form, binding the hat body above and below the brim flange, drying the hat body on the form, then treating the outer surface of the hat while still on the form and cuttingthe outer edge of the brim to release the hat.

.4. The steps in the manufacture of felt hats by which the hat bodies are brought to the final shape and exact head size which consists in placing the hat body on a form of porous, non

1heat conducting absorbent hardened plastic, the form being of the exact head size and final shape of the hat to be produced, and being hollow, providing a chamber within the form, and also having perforations extending from the chamber to the outer surface of the form for leading steam from the chamber to the entire outer surface of the form covered by the hatlbody, the form also having a tying zone encircling the lower portion 'of the form through which there is an opening for admitting steam, supporting the form in upright position, with a steam supply connected to saidsopening to discharge steam through said perforations, at the surface of the form, thus steaming the hat body from within and at the same time working it down over the form till it fits'closely thereon and then binding thelower edge of the body, about said zone, removing the form with the hat body thereon to a dryingarea and drying and finishing the hat body on the an opening at the bottom, a tying zone encircling the form near the bottom, a steam discharge nozzle having a support adapted to hold the form with its opening in registration with the nozzle, the nozzle and form having a loose'freely detachable engagement so that the form can be supported on the nozzle during the shaping op eration and removed therefrom for drying the hat on the form, means for supplying steam to, said nozzle, the opening inthe form leading to.

the hollow so that the steam is discharged through said perforations into contact with a hat body on the form to soften the same for shaping and during the operation of shaping.

6. An apparatus for use in shaping felt hats to the exact head size, drying and finishing them,

comprising a hollow head size finishing form of hardened plastic material, perforated throughout, the plastic beingas compared to'metalflrelatively non-conducting as to heat, the form having an opening at thebottom, a tying zone encirclingthe form near the bottom, a steam discharge nozzle having a support adapted "to hold the form with its opening in registrationwith the nozzle, the nozzle and form having afreely de; tachable engagement so that the formcan be supported on the nozzle during the shaping operation and removed therefrom for drying the hat on the form, means for supplying steam to said nozzle, the opening in the form leading to the hollow so that the steam is discharged through said perforations into contact with a hat body on the form to soften the same for shaping and during the operation of shaping. g

CHARLES J. HEALEY. 

